A/N: Short chapter but I kinda got tired of fighting it into compliance. Hopefully next one will be longer, though no promises as to when that happens.

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Harry Potter.

November 2006.

"He said what?"

Hermione was fuming.

No, Hermione was far beyond fuming. She had half a mind to bring John Winchester back to life again only so that she could kill him herself.

What was he thinking? Could he have really been that stupid, or was he just heartless? Dean's entire childhood, he had been lectured by his father time and time again that Sammy's safety came before everything else – before his friends, before himself, before his life.

For twenty years, the only thing Dean was ever told from John was to save Sammy, no matter the cost.

So what, in the name of Merlin's pink pants, was John Winchester thinking when his last words to his eldest were that if he couldn't save Sammy, he should kill him.

"I know," Sam said from the other end of the line. "I… had a hard time believing it, too. Dean and I decided to take a break, for a while. Figure things out."

"Sammy," Hermione sighed. "Dean… Dean would never…"

"I know," Sam said. "But he didn't tell me, either, so…"

Hermione sighed, rubbing her face in frustration. "Do you have a place to stay?" she asked. "Do you… do you need to crash at my place for a couple of days?"

"No," Sam quickly said. "I'm working on a case. Helps me clear my head."

"If you're sure," Hermione replied. "As long as you know Dad and I are always here for the both of you, whenever you need something."

"Of course," Sam said, and Hermione could hear him smile on the other end of the line. "Listen, Mya, I wanted to ask –"

"Just a sec, I have another call," Hermione said, glancing at her phone to see who was calling. "Oh, it's Dean. Wait a minute and I'll be back with you, okay?"

"No, it's fine," Sam quickly said. "Never mind. Thanks, Mya."

"No problem," Hermione said, hanging up the call and answering Dean's. "Hey, what's –"

"Did you hear from Sam?" Dean asked, wasting no time on familiarities.

"Um… yeah, I just spoke to him –"

"Did he tell you where he is?"

Hermione frowned. "No," she said. "Only that the two of you decided to take a break to figure things out."

"Is that how he called it?" Dean muttered angrily. "So, while we're at it, I'm guessing he didn't mention that he was the one who decided to take a break, and that he let me know by leaving in the middle of the night?"

Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself down. These boys will be the death of her one day.

"No," she said through gritted teeth. "He seemed to have forgotten to mention that."

"Son of a bitch," Dean said under his breath. "Anyway, thanks, Mya –"

"Not so quickly, Dean," Hermione said in a tone that left no place for a fight. "Care to tell me why did you hide what John told you from us for six months?"

Dean sighed. "So he told you."

"Of course he told me, Dean," Hermione said. "That's what you should have done, as well."

"No, it isn't," Dean said sharply. "You have enough going on even without me complicating things more than they already are. You don't need my problems on top of your own."

"Yet, they always seem to be there," Hermione retorted. "You and Sammy mean the world to me, Dean, you know that. And you just… you don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. I'm here to help with that – and so is Sammy, and Dad, for that matter."

"Yeah, well, I don't need your help."

"I never said you did," Hermione said, fighting to keep her cool. "I've known you long enough to know you can still keep going, too. All I'm saying is that it might be easier for you if you let us in."

"Well, I don't want to," Dean said, overly aware that his words were as childish as one could get. "Look, Hermione, I gotta go find Sammy. Talk to you later."

"Dean, wait –"

But he already hung up, leaving Hermione sitting alone at her apartment, looking at the phone.

She was going to kill those two, she decided right then and there – that is, of course, if they didn't kill each other first.

December 2006.

When she looked back at it, it wasn't surprising that the first person to know was Judy, her secretary.

Judy was a young woman, only 19 years old and fresh out of school, but she was one of the most perceptive people Hermione ever met. Hermione dubbed her as a Slytherin with Hufflepuff tendencies - a lethal combination. She seemed to know everything that was going on in the office, but refused to share her knowledge unless keeping the secret would make her an accomplice in crime.

Hermione highly appreciated her for it, and so Judy quickly became the single person outside her family she trusted the most.

"So," Judy said one morning as Hermione looked over the final details of a complicated mission that was due to start the next day. "Are you going to tell me about him any time soon?"

"About who?" Hermione asked, and Judy rolled her eyes.

"Please," she huffed. "In the last three weeks, you cancelled four late night meetings, and after two of these nights you came here wearing the same clothes as the day before and changed when you got to the office. I know there's a guy. Are you going to tell me about him?"

Despite herself, Hermione blushed.

She met him only a couple of days after Sam called to tell her of John's last words to Dean. She was out at the bar, winding up after a long day of meetings when he sat down next to her.

"A beer for me, please," he told the bartender before glancing at Hermione. "And a refill for the lady. She looks like she needs it."

Hermione let out a dry chuckle.

"Does that pickup line really work for you?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "Never tried it before. I'm Charles," he added, reaching out a hand for a shake.

"Hermione," she said, reaching out her own hand and laughing as he brought it to his lips for a kiss. "Came out of a 'How to be Cheesy' magazine or something?"

"You could say that," he shrugged. "Or maybe I just know to appreciate a beautiful woman when I see one."

"Yeah…" Hermione smiled. "Well, I'm not the kind to go home with a guy she just met at the bar." Not anymore, at least, she added silently to herself.

"Good," Charles said, smiling back at her. "I'm not the kind to take home a girl he just met at the bar. You might be a serial killer, for all I know." Hermione laughed, and his smile widened. "How about… you, me, Monday night? I know a great Italian restaurant just a couple of blocks away from here."

"And you just assume I want to go out on a date with you?" she questioned.

"Assume? Never," he replied. "But I sure do hope."

In the month or so that passed, Charles and Hermione went to many dates, and though they didn't exactly give a name to what they had, Hermione felt easy defining it to herself. They were dating, simple as that. She wouldn't call them boyfriend and girlfriend, as she felt what they had was a lot more serious than that, but they were definitely dating.

She really shouldn't have been surprised Judy noticed, and she knew trying to deny would be pointless, but...

"You know what? I don't think I will," she said with a smirk. "I kind of enjoy being able to keep him to myself."

"So there's a 'him'," Judy said, returning the smirk. "Can I at least get a name?"

"Charles," Hermione said, a smile unconsciously rising on her lips. "He's... He's funny, and charming, and not completely terrified of me, which is always a plus," she added, and the two women shared an understanding smile.

"Wizard?" Judy asked.

"Muggle," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I stopped dating Wizards years ago. Can't shake the feeling they're only dating me cause I'm the Hermione Singer."

She blissfully ignored the small voice in her mind that reminded her what – or rather, who –was the real reason she only dated Muggles.

"Does he know?"

"He knows I work at law enforcement, and the general lines of what my job includes," Hermione replied. "He doesn't know I'm a Witch, or about magic. At least, not yet."

"Do you plan to tell him?" Judy asked, curious.

"Probably," Hermione shrugged. "I want to make sure this is serious, first. Though he knows I want something more than just fun and games. I told him about Jessica Rose, after all."

"Do you think this could be it?" Judy asked. "Do you think he could be the one?"

"Well, I stopped believing in 'The One' years ago," Hermione admitted, thinking back to all the years she was sure Dean was her 'One'. "But, yes, I think this could be it. It's been years since I felt like that about someone. Not since..."

"The Mythological Ex?" Judy asked with a smile.

"Pretty much..." Hermione sighed.

"Well, I can tell you this," Judy said. "He seems good for you. I don't think I've ever seen you this happy. Don't forget debriefing for this mission's at noon," she added, turning to leave. "And, Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"When you decide you're ready... I expect to be one of the first to meet this mystery Charles."

The sound of Hermione's laughter escorted Judy out of the room.